Washington Landslide

Rattlesnake Ridge, United States - Updated Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Washington Landslide

Updated: 1/24/2018 3:13:22 AMThe landslide on Rattlesnake Ridge outside of Yakima, Washington, is turning into a slow grind. The land is moving at a constant 1.7 feet per week.
Emergency managers are cutting back their twice-a-week press conferences to just one. They said that there just isn’t enough new happening with the slide.Source: DORRIS

Published Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Authorities in south-central Washington state are warning residents near an ever-growing tension crack on Rattlesnake Ridge to evacuate.

Yakima County is monitoring the crack that runs along Interstate 82 about 40 miles southeast of Seattle.

According to officials, the fissure is spreading about 1.4 feet per week and measures 250-feet at its deepest point.

The exact cause is unknown, but geologists say it's most likely due to shifting soil on the slope.
Since geologists started monitoring the area in October, they say about 4 million cubic yards of land have moved, faster than expected.

The Yakima County Office of Emergency Management has put the area near the ridge on a Level 3 recommended evacuation warning, which means residents are advised to leave immediately.

"The geologic experts that have been monitoring this slide believe that since the slide is slow moving and on a gentle slope that the landslide event will be small in nature and hopefully stabilize itself," the Yakima County OEM said in a statement.
Source: DORRIS